Prospective Elementary and Secondary Teachers' Understanding of Division

Abstract

This article reports an analysis of 19 prospective elementary and secondary teachers' understanding of division. Interview questions probed the prospective teachers' understanding of division in three contexts. Although many of the teacher candidates could produce correct answers, several could not, and few were able to give mathematical explanations for the underlying principles and meanings. The prospective teachers' knowledge was generally fragmented, and each case of division was held as a separate bit of knowledge.